Alejandro Zendejas’ commitment a needed boost at an uncertain time for the USMNT

The team that currently has no permanent coach, sporting director, or general manager still earned the commitment of dual national Alejandro Zendejas, in the best piece of news for the United States men’s national team to date in 2023.

“I finally made the decision,” Zendejas, 25, said in Spanish on a Zoom call with media Monday. Fluently bilingual, he was asked a number of questions in the predominant language of Mexico, where he was born and now plays for Liga MX giant Club América.

» READ MORE: Soccer roundtable: What is the fallout of the Reyna-Berhalter scandal?

U.S. forward Daryl Dike, who also faced a dual-national decision because of his family’s Nigerian heritage, could commiserate with Zendejas.

“You know how big of a decision it is,” said Dike, mentioning not only how momentous the choice was, but also its permanence. “You want to go where you can develop. It becomes part of your footballing identity. It’s something important to me.”

In making his final choice, Zendejas drew on advice from his loved ones.

“I talked it over with my family, with the people I’m closest to,” he said. “I came in to the January camp and got called into this one, thank God. I’m very happy to be here and to reconnect with players I’d played with as a teenager and to meet new teammates.”

A skilled midfielder who roams into attacks, looking to unleash a lethal left-footed shot, Zendejas grew up idolizing Argentine superstar Lionel Messi with Barcelona, his favorite club team. Since joining Club América in January 2022, Zendejas, who also can be deployed out wide as a winger, has scored 12 goals and added three assists in 46 appearances.

Zendejas was barely a teenager when fate came calling as representatives of MLS club FC Dallas held tryouts in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, where his family had moved. The trial was successful for the youngster. Looking back, he still remembers his four years with the club fondly.

“FC Dallas means pretty much everything to me,” Zendejas said. “I got the opportunity to move to Dallas and join the academy. I’m super grateful.”

» READ MORE: Dual nationals like Alejandro Zendejas face an irreversible choice, and the USMNT has no guarantees

It wasn’t long after that the U.S. youth national team program selected Zendejas as a top prospect. He made his debut with the under-15 team and subsequently was picked for the under-17 World Cup roster alongside other future United States men’s national team stars like Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams.

The nostalgia of training and competing in the red, white, and, blue was a factor in Zendejas’ decision to represent the United States.

“I was happy to play again with people I’d known since was 15,” Zendejas said.

It wasn’t as if Zendejas was in total exile playing club soccer in Mexico, but it wasn’t an easy situation. He played for Chivas from 2016-20. The club prides itself on having only Mexican players on its roster as a symbol of a devotion to not only winning league games but also developing players for the national team of Mexico. Zendejas was expected to renounce his American youth career and declare he’d never play for any U.S. team again.

The passion for soccer in Mexico can be “crazy” at times, Zendejas said.

He was referring specifically to the recent atmosphere of the game between his current and former club, as Chivas and Club América are long-standing and fierce rivals, but it also could apply to the media frenzy after it was established that Zendejas still was eligible play for United States. He had never filed an official FIFA switch to represent Mexico.

» READ MORE: Debate on USMNT after January games, administration upheaval and coaching uncertainty

Having improperly used Zendejas in two matches, the Mexican federation was fined nearly $11,000 by FIFA and forced to forfeit those games. Though they were merely friendlies, commentary on sports talk shows in Mexico grew heated, with some opining that Zendejas now owed his loyalty to Mexico. Rumors abounded about how he and his family were demanding payments, assurances of making the World Cup roster, and more.

“It was a bunch of chaos over there,” Zendejas said, explaining how he got constant calls and questions on the topic of his allegiance for weeks. “I tried not to focus on that.”

Even with a number of key personnel missing in the USSF, it may still be less dysfunctional than its Mexican counterpart.

Zendejas, at least, has made peace with his decision. Regardless of whether Club América let him leave during the season to join the January U.S. camp partly as a dig at Chivas’ restrictions, it was a generous act the midfielder appreciated. During that camp, Zendejas made his U.S. senior debut, starting and playing 90 minutes in a friendly against Serbia.

“I was super grateful that they gave me the opportunity,” Zendejas said of his club. “They were super supportive about it. I’m just happy they let me go.”

Perhaps his relaxed smile said more than anything when Zendejas talked about the U.S. national team: “It’s fun being here.” He elaborated on what it was like to play with Dike, having scrimmaged while on the same team in training before the media call.

“This guy is a tank,” he said. “All the balls that go to him, he’s going to hold it up and do his little magic.”

Dike returned the compliment: “Our team won. His left foot’s a wand there.”

The two will be part of the American contingent as Concacaf Nations League action kicks off when the U.S. takes on Grenada at 8 p.m. Friday.